Pinned it, done it! : Earl Grey Hot Cross Buns

 

On any given bank holiday you can guarantee that someone somewhere is having a baking frenzy. I’ve often attempted to bake Hot Cross Buns to varying success, mostly pretty rotten attempts at heavy rocks rather than fruity buns. Enriched dough is not easy to work with, often finding myself panicking at the kneading stage. The dough always feels overly wet and sticky making me freak out and give up thinking it’s all going wrong.

I will stand up and admit that I am totally addicted to Pinterest, it consumes me! So many pretty things and clever ideas that get my creative juices flowing. Like so many slaves to Pinterest I hoard and gather cake recipes, garden ideas, outfits, craft projects and then some, but how often do I ever actually attempt them? Well more often than I thought. Often now when looking for a recipe rather than reaching for the books on my shelves or even google and go straight to Pinterest. While browsing Pinterest in the lead up to Easter this recipe  for Earl Grey Hot Cross Buns from The Kitchn turned up on my feed.

I’m really glad I gave making these buns another go. I was attracted to the idea of the use of Earl Grey tea which made the buns more intensely rich and fruity. Like a cross between a tea bread and hot cross bun. I worked through and got over the stickiness of the dough, soldiering on for the full 10 mins knead! I made a few amendments to the recipe by using sultanas and apricots and proving the dough in the fridge overnight, which allowed the spices and the tea to mingle longer.

 

Not being a particularly religious person I see Easter as more a celebration of spring and the lengthening days to summer and the new growing season. After all it is like Christmas a mish-mash of pagan and christian festivals. The crosses on my buns reminded me more of the Cornish flag, therefore I dub these my Cornish Independence Pagan Buns!

You can find the recipe by following the link to the daily web magazine,  The Kitchn the cookery sister site to apartment Therapy through the Pinterest link below.